Making of Middle English

Question 1

What major event made English borrow Norman French vocabulary and pronunciation?

Answer 1

The Battle of Hastings.

Question 2

What are the 5 processes that indicate Norman French pronunciation borrowings over Central French (Paris) pronunciation in English?

Answer 2

• NF pronunciation of Germanic [gw] as [ w ].
• NF pronunciation of /q/ as [ kw ].
• Latin [k] before [a], while in CF it became [ ʃ ].
• English maintained the spelling of - s - which was lost in French in the 12th century.
• [ ʤ ]/[ ʧ ] sounds, softened in CF (13th c.) to [ ʒ ]/[ ʃ ].

Question 3

What are the equivalent sounds in Norman French and Central French for the 5 sound processes?

Answer 3

• Norman French (or Anglo-Norman) [ w ] = Central French [ g ].
• NF /q/ [ kw ] = CF [ k ].
• English kept -s- = CF no -s- replaced by ‘^’.
• NF [ ʤ ]/[ ʧ ] = CF [ ʒ ]/[ ʃ ].
• NF [ k ] before [ a ] = CF [ ʃ ].

Question 4

In the early and late borrowings from NF and CF in Middle English, which one is early and which one is late?

Answer 4

Norman French borrowings are earlier loans and Central French borrowings are later loans.

Question 5

What can help us identify if a loan/borrowing from French occurred later in English?

Answer 5

If the sound resembles French very closely, then it is probably a later borrowing than another one less resembling in sound.

Question 6

What does the difference between the PdE words of Anglo-Saxon origin “ox, sheep, fowl, calf” and the ones of French/Norman French origin “beef, mutton, poultry, veal” reveal about the status of English and French terms in ME?

Answer 6

The words of AS origin were common uses, as opposed to their synonyms of French origin that were prestigious uses.

Question 7

What is the historical event characterising the beginning of the Middle English period? What is the exact date?

Answer 7

The invasion of William the Conqueror, who was a Norman from Normandy (France) who spoke Norman French, on september 28th 1066.

Question 8

Why is English so complex?

Answer 8

Because it is a melting pot of many languages: it is as Norman French as it is Anglo-Saxon, Norse, etc.

Question 9

What was considered the Land of the Northmen or Normans before conquering England?

Answer 9

France/Normandy.

Question 10

Who was Rollo the Dane?

Answer 10

He was a viking who “conquered” Normandy. He didn’t actually conquer Normandy; he came to an agreement with Charles the Simple (Norman) = One would conquer one side and the other, the other side (Danelaw).

Question 11

What is the relation/link between Rollo the Dane and his son Edward?

Answer 11

Rollo the Dane left Normandy to Harold when he died because he didn’t want his son Edward to be his successor. However, Edward fought against Harold’s troops and won. Then, Edward finally got the power of Normandy (king).

Question 12

After what battle did Edward get the power? What was it and how long did it last?

Answer 12

The Battle of Hastings: a battle taking place in the town of Hastings in England. It lasted 4 days.

Question 13

After the famous battle, Edward was crowned King of what countries/counties?

Answer 13

England and Normandy.

Question 14

Why did Edward influence in such a degree the language spoken in England when he arrived in the picture?

Answer 14

Because he brought his own language (Norman French) in England and all the people who wanted to be someone important started to speak his language = Normand French.

Question 15

What were the two languages opposing one another in France during the 11th century? Where were they each spoken?

Answer 15

Norman French (spoken by the Northmen or Normans in the North) and Central French (spoken by the people around Paris (central France)).

Question 16

What became the new name of William of Normandy?

Answer 16

William I of England.

Question 17

What did William replace in England?

Answer 17

He replaced anyone who had any kind of power in England with someone from his entourage, so someone from Normandy (priests, bishops, abbots, counselors, etc).

Question 18

What languages did the nobility and the educated class speak after William’s conquer?

Answer 18

Latin and Norman French.

Question 19

In ME, what was the language of legality (legal documents), Church, and the language of education?

Answer 19

Latin.

Question 20

In ME, what was the language of the court, of the educated people and of the aristocracy?

Answer 20

Norman French.

Question 21

In ME, what was the language of the peasants?

Answer 21

English.

Question 22

Why aren’t there many records of written OE?

Answer 22

Because from the 11th to the 14th-15th century (ME), Latin and Norman French were the important languages and English was considered a language not worth keeping and not worth writing because it was the language of the peasants.

Question 23

What kind of impact did the replacement by William I of all key positions (positions of authority) have? For how long did it impact?

Answer 23

IT had an impact on the language, on society and on culture for 300-400 years.

Question 24

When did English start to re-emerge?

Answer 24

At the end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century.

Question 25

During the period of Middle English, why was England considered trilingual?

Answer 25

Because there were 3 languages happening at the same time (Norman French, Latin and English) and they borrow from each other.

Question 26

Which one of the 3 languages of England (ME) borrowed the most and why?

Answer 26

English is the one to borrow the most because of its position and importance (low position and not important).

Question 27

Which parts of England is not Anglo-Norman? If they are not AN, what are they?

Answer 27

Wales, Scotland and Ireland = Celtic.

Question 28

What 3 other countries/counties are Anglo-Norman?

Answer 28

Normandy, Maine and Brittany.

Question 29

What are the 3 Houses of “royalty” that ruled England (in the right order)?

Answer 29

1- House of Normandy.
2- House of Plantagenet.
3- House of Lancaster.

Question 30

When William died in 1087, who succeeded him (from the House of Normandy)?

Answer 30

William II, Henry I and Stephen.

Question 31

Who were the 8 Kings of the House of Plantagenet (in the right order)?

Answer 31

1- Henry II
2- Richard I
3- John
4- Henry III
5- Edward I
6- Edward II
7- Edward III
8- Richard II.

Question 32

Who were the 3 Kings of the House of Lancaster (in the right order)?

Answer 32

1- Henry IV
2- Henry V
3- Henry VI.

Question 33

Who did Henry III marry and why is it significant?

Answer 33

He marries Eleanor of PRovence, sister of Louis the King of France. It is significant because this means that Provence then becomes part of the English Empire.

Question 34

What actually brings war between England and France?

Answer 34

Kings and Queens of England pretend to be Kings and Queens of France, and vice versa.

Question 35

What happens in 1204?

Answer 35

King Philip of France seizes estates of barons and knights lining in England. According to him, there should not be more than one master, but people didn’t agree.

Question 36

What happens between 1236 and 1246?

Answer 36

Henry III marries Eleanor of Provence and Provence becomes part of the English Empire.

Question 37

What happens from 1337 to 1454?

Answer 37

It is the Hundred Years War with France. It ends when St. Joan of Arc comes in the battle and when the English are finally “pushed out” of the territories they hold in France.

Question 38

What happens in 1348?

Answer 38

The Plague (Black Death) reaches England. It kills around half of the population. People living in the city (monastries, castles, etc), the educated class speaking Latin and Norman French, were more apt to catch the Plague. People livign in the country, in the fields (the peasants speaking English) were less apt to catch the Plague.

Question 39

What did the Plague bring to English?

Answer 39

An opportunity to re-emerge: Monks were replaced by peasants because peasants survived the Plague. If the Plague didn’t happen, then English wouldn’t have re-emerged.

Question 40

What happened in 1381?

Answer 40

Wat Tyler’s Rebellion: it was the first speech made in English by a British Monarch since 1066. So, from 1066 to 1381, no British Monarch could speak fluent English, except for Henry I and Henry II.

Question 41

What does the abolishment of both Danelaws (in England and in France) bring to the language?

Answer 41

IT brings linguistic barriers that start to merge and influences co-existing and co-working.

Question 42

Why did the prestige dialect move from Winchester (Wessex) to London?

Answer 42

Because William I was crowned in London.

Question 43

Where is the prestigious dialect of English spoken?

Answer 43

Around London only.

Question 44

What are 2 major elements of linguistic evidence of Norman French keeping its position of prestige dialect/language?

Answer 44

• DOUBLETS: ox (peasants of English) VS beef (nobility of NF).
• POLITICAL SITUATION: Class Structure, Literature, Church, Administration, Legality, Military, and Fine Shades of Meaning.

Question 45

What kind of vocabulary elements of Anglo-Saxon origin were left in the lexicon and why?

Answer 45

Basic concepts such as basic activities like “eat” and “work”, house elements such as “room” and “house”, basic food such as “meat” and “fish” and names of body parts such as “head” and “mouth”. The more common a word is, the more it is going to resist change.

Question 46

What was the most productive way of creating new words in OE and ME that is not so productive in PdE?

Answer 46

Compounding.

Question 47

After how many centuries did English start to re-assert itself as the prestige dialect of ME?

Answer 47

After 3 centuries of French dominance.

Question 48

The 4 dialects of ME split into what 5 dialects before merging into what 1 dialect?

Answer 48

• Kentish –> Kentish
• West Saxon –> South Western
• Mercian –> West Midlands & East Midlands
• Northumbiran –> Northern

**All become Middle English.

Question 49

What is the geographical reason of the dominance of the Mercian Dialect?

Answer 49

It was the one spoken in London.

Question 50

What is the commercial reason of the dominance of the Mercian dialect?

Answer 50

William Caxton and printing (spoke the dialect of London) and London was a major player in the Financial market.

Question 51

What is the socio-political reason of the dominance of the Mercian Dialect?

Answer 51

The aristocracy was located in London.

Question 52

Why is there a re-emergence of English literature at the end of the 15th century?

Answer 52

Because men of letters start to write in English.

Question 53

Who is Geoffrey Chaucer?

Answer 53

He writes in English, which is the language of the common people. He write in his own dialect like other writers, but Caxton prints them in the dialect of London. Chaucer is the one to give Shakespeare the push to write in English.

Question 54

What are 5 causes of the re-emergence of English?

Answer 54

• Loss of French territories.
• The Hundred Years War.
• The peasants revolt (the educated, upper class gets replaced by the uneducated class.
• Nobility children were left in the care of the servants (peasants) who only spoke English.
• Wycliff translates the Bible from Latin into vulgar English in the 1300s.

Question 55

What are 2 vowels lost from OE to ME?

Answer 55

• The ash [ æ ] gets completely lost.

- There is no distinction between long and short vowels with [ : ] or [ - ] = from now on a long vowel gets doubled.

Question 56

What are 2 consonants lost from OE to ME?

Answer 56

• The wynn [ Þ ] gets replaced by [ w ].

- The thorn [ þ ] is now transcribed [ th ].

Question 57

What letter is introduced in ME and wasn’t a letter in OE?

Answer 57

• The letter / z /.

Question 58

What was the correspondence between letters and sounds in OE as opposed to ME and what was the exception?

Answer 58

In OE, there was a one to one correspondence between letters and sounds (one letter represents one sound), escept for the insular / g / that could represent more than one sound ( [ g ] but [ ʤ ] when doubled. In ME, this correspondence no longer applies.